The Hawaiian gazette., 1887-10-04

to be hoped that the present Board
viii be able to give satisfactory ex-
plantations of whatever alterations it
has authorized in the management
and curriculum of the seminary. Per
haps it may appear that the branches
said to be discarded are replaced by
others deemed more desirable for
equipping youth for the battle of life.
In any case it is a matter upon which
the public should be enlightened.
Ii is fact that the Opium License
Act was forced through the Legisla-
ture against the well understood
wishes of most respectable citizens,
and, there is little doubt, against
even the consciousness of right of
majority of the Assembly. All the
testimony, Judicial and otherwise. of
the effects of the licensed traffic when
it formerly prevailed was that it was
an unmihgated evil, causing democrat
ization, disease and death among
people of all nationalities. The only
argument having the slightest apol-
ogy of reason for reverting to license
was based on the maxim of choosing
the least of two evils, those who used
that argument assuming that the
evils of opium are more desirable
under the sanction of law than IN
spite of law, although it was clearly
demonstrated by the best of evidence
that large as the amount of opium
smuggled throughout the prohibition
period undoubtedly was, the use of
the drug was necessarily so limited
in extent and degree that the result
ant evils were not a 1.-THE OF those
produced under the legalized traffic
Those reasoners, however, did not
consider the comparative amounts of
intrinsic damage wrought by the drug
under license and under prohibition,
but to the maximum of evil produced
under prohibition they added in the
scales the crime of smuggling, and
the wrong TO the treasury from being
deprived of duty and license fees on
the quantity that eluded the strict
prohibitive law. OF course such
mode Of reasoning had very little
weight with the best part of the com
munity, which viewed the question
in its true light as one of right and
wrong, and refused to concede that
because q good law could not be per-
fectly enforced it should be abol
ished. A law to license burglars
would have had as much reason on
the grounds stated. Nevertheless.
the law TO license opium was not car
RED on the strength of such logic.
but was forced into existence by the
power OF a majority that bowed
before one controlling mandate, so
that it was the national conscience
and not the national intellect which
was outraged by the statute.
The Act had not passed through
all its stages, however. before it was
perceived that the attempt at legis-
lating against the sentiments of the
best minds IN the Assembly had pro
duced such a crude and bungIing
measure as was likely to be impossi-
bic OF execution. This probability
gave hope 10 the community that
it was still to be spared from the
disastrous infection OF IegaIized
opium However. the Gibson Gov
eminent proceeded 10 put the Act
into execution with the least possible
delay Doctors were manufactured
BIZ q stroke Of the pen, certified to
be such for the purposes Of this
Act" So as to give the traffic free
course, IN spite OF the pretended safe
guards OF the law, premium OF one
dollar e head was given the Marshal
TO reward him for every applicant for
q license to buy opium whom he
passed There has never been q
single applicant heard Of as being
refused. although the law declares
that opium Is only TO be sold for
medical purposes and tens OF thOus-
ands OF certificates 10 buy 1t have
been issued When the Act came
before the Supreme Court on writs
OF hsbeas corpus for yiolators OF It's
provisions, II was declared By the
Justices individually and collectively
that the prisoners could not be held
for the Offenses charged The Court
also declared that any sale Of opium
except according TO certain stipula-
lions governing the Board OF Health !
under a previous statute. was unlaW-
full This decision Of the Supreme
Court placed the business Of the
opium Hcensee, as conducted BY him.
beyond the pale Of law, and suits |
we're instituted TO have him punished |
Is yiOIstOr Of the laws Of the King
dom After several pOstpOnemenfs |
II the cases the matter would seem |
TO have dropped cut Of sight But It |
lss not dropped out Of the public
mind. and people are daily enquiring |